The present invention relates to a mechanical component pairing comprising a first component with a first component toothing and comprising a second component with a second component toothing which is in engagement with the first component toothing in order to be able to transmit a drive force in a drive direction via the component toothings.
Component pairings of said type are generally known, for example in the form of gearwheel pairings and/or the pairing of a toothed rack with a gearwheel. Such component pairings are often used in drivetrains of motor vehicles, for example in multi-stage gearboxes, in drives for auxiliary units etc.
One of the main problems with mechanical component pairings of said type is the so-called rattling phenomenon. This occurs primarily on account of vibration excitation in the drivetrain generated for example by a drive engine, such as an internal combustion engine, of the drivetrain. The rattling (also referred to as undesirable vibrations) is generated in that, on account of the vibration excitation, the driving component is decelerated but the driven component (for example a loose wheel) continues to rotate with an imparted rotational movement and is decelerated only as a result of friction and drag torque effects. Here, the driven component moves away from a traction flank of the driving component, so as to swing towards the thrust flank of the driving component and possibly impact against said thrust flank. Such phenomena occur not only during load shift reactions but rather in particular on account of the higher-frequency excitations from other parts of the drivetrain, such as for example an internal combustion engine.
There are numerous approaches for reducing such noises. Firstly, it is possible for active gearbox-external measures to be implemented which for example decouple the spurious excitation from an internal combustion engine by means of a dual-mass flywheel. Such dual-mass flywheels are however expensive in terms of the installation space taken up, the necessary additional weight and in terms of costs. A further option are passive gearbox-external measures such as for example encapsulation or insulation of the gearbox housing. These measures are also disadvantageous. Also known are active gearbox-internal measures which are purposely arranged at the main noise sources. Such active gearbox-internal measures are often aimed at minimizing functional plays or eliminating mobility within said functional plays. Disadvantages here are often the reduced efficiency and the generation of other undesired noises (such as for example whining). It is also known, for noise reduction, to provide passive gearbox-internal measures which are arranged directly at the noise sources (that is to say for example at the gearwheels) and which absorb or isolate mechanical vibrations.
Known measures here are loose-wheel brakes, measures for tooth space bracing, measures which make use of a disc with a slightly different transmission ratio, measures with a friction wheel secondary transmission ratio, vibration absorbers, magnetic solutions for preventing the tooth flanks from moving apart from one another, etc.
Document DE 103 28 482 A1 discloses, for example, a gear mechanism having an anti-rattle device. Here, a loose wheel and a fixed wheel are assigned in each case one friction wheel, which friction wheels are in frictional engagement with one another.
From document DE 197 21 851 A1, it is known to reduce the tooth flank play in a gearwheel pairing by virtue of a toothed disc with slightly bendable teeth being attached to one gearwheel. The bendable teeth of the toothed disc engage into the counterpart toothing of the gearwheel pairing and are intended to provide noise damping without significant wear to the other gearwheel element.
It is known from DE 38 39 807 C1 to eliminate the tooth flank play between two gearwheels by virtue of an additional toothed disc being provided on one gearwheel and by virtue of the toothed disc being preloaded in the circumferential direction relative to the associated gearwheel by means of springs.
Furthermore, document DE 10 2004 00 A1 discloses a spur gear drive for camshafts in which one gearwheel is of two-part design.
Also known from the prior art (for example DE 1 967 959 A1, JP 62228735 A, U.S. Pat. No. 4,577,525) are anti-rattle measures in which an anti-rattle toothing of an anti-rattle component has one tooth more or fewer than the component toothing of the associated component.
Document JP 01153865 A discloses an arrangement having a component pairing and an associated anti-rattle component, with the anti-rattle toothing of the component with which the anti-rattle component is in engagement having a different helix angle than the component toothing thereof.